VALENTINE’S SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

You can use any recipe you are fond of, the scoring is not intricate so you can even increase a bit the hydration level if you prefer. You will need parchment paper cut with a heart shape (save the heart and the outside area), and a stencil with little hearts. I used Red Yeast Powder to add color, but air-brushing would also work. I love how the little white heart popped into the design, totally by accident! Serendipity at work…

VALENTINE’S SOURDOUGH
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

450g bread flour
50g whole wheat flour
75g sourdough starter (stiff or 100% hydration)
10g salt
360g water
Thai rice flour (or tapioca flour)
Red Yeast Powder for color (I used this one)

Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead gently for about 4 minutes (first or second speed maximum).

Transfer dough to a lightly oil bowl and do a bulk fermentation with 4 folds made 45 minutes apart. Before you start the fermentation , remove a very small amount of dough to a small glass container (like those that hold spices), and mark where the level of the dough is with a permanent marker. Keep that at room temperature to monitor fermentation.

After the last folding cycle, keep an eye on the fermentation using the small vial. Ideally you want to let the dough ferment until it is double in size. Depending on the day, temperature of your kitchen, it might take 8 hours or more.

Once bulk fermentation is over, shape the dough as a round ball. Place in the fridge overnight.

Next day, freeze the dough for 30 minutes in the banetton, to make it easier to score later. Invert the dough on a paper liner, add the heart shape in the center, and flour the region around it (I used Thai rice flour). Lift the heart shape, place the larger parchment as a mask to cover the rest of the dough. Add your stencil, making sure it is tight on the surface. Rub Red Yeast powder over the design, lift the stencil carefully. Score the perimeter of the heart and the outer area of the dough, and place in a Dutch oven.

Close the pan and bake at 450F for 7 minutes. Remove the lid, go back and re-inforce the cut around the heart, although this step is optional. Close the pan and bake for 30 minutes, open and allow the bread to brown for a further 15 minutes.

Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was a lot of fun to make, although I could have done a better job keeping the stencil tighter to the surface for a sharper edge around the little hearts. Here is the full process…

First, get the parchment paper cut and the stencil ready.

Now start by placing the heart on the top of the loaf, fresh from its little rest in the freezer… Rub flour all around.

Lift the stencil, revealing the heart underneath with no white flour on it…

Place the parchment paper as a mask hiding the areas outside the heart, the stencil on top of it…

Rub the red powder over the design…

Gently lift the stencil, score the dough and you are ready to bake!

I close this post with a baking memory from 2023 (click here for full details)

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3Feb2026

HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Valentine’s Day is coming up, so if you are cooking at home, this would be a perfect side dish… A little bit tricky to get the timing of everything right the first time, but we absolutely loved this recipe.

HEART-SHAPED FONDANT POTATOES
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

Medium-large Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 quart warm water
4 tsp salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
sprigs of rosemary and thyme

1 heart shaped cookie cutter, preferably metal

Cut the potatoes in slices as thick as your cookie cutter. Use the cookie cutter to get heart shapes, as many as you want and will fit an oven-safe skillet in one single layer. Place the slices of potato in a bowl with the warm water and salt for 2 to 6 hours.

Remove the potatoes from the brine, dry them well. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, when really hot, add the slices of potato and let the first side brown well. Season with a little pepper, you might want to skip the salt due to the brining. Brown the first side for about 4 minutes. Flip the slices over, add the butter, once it melts, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the chicken stock, to about half the height of the potatoes. Add the rosemary and thyme.

Cover the pan and transfer to a 400F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the sprigs of herbs, and spoon some of the cooking liquid over the potatoes. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Fondant potatoes are a classic, but as you might imagine, I had to reduce a little bit the amount of butter. It did not compromise the taste, they were melt-in-your-mouth tender and super flavorful. In the classic version, cubes of potatoes much larger are used, and the cooking time is longer. It is al little tricky to make it work with thinner slices, but worth the trouble. Leftovers, in case you are wondering were spectacular still two days later. We enjoyed them with beef tenderloin and asparagus. Ate like Royalty. Not surprising, since a Prince lives with us…

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30Jan2026

KAREN’S THIN CRUST POTATO PIZZA

Posted in Pizzas, Pizzas & Small Dishes by sallybr

She raved about it (click here), and I jumped on making it pretty quickly. I was never quite sold on the idea of potato on pizza, but it is absolutely delicious! I made a few modifications to suit our way of cooking, which maybe by now you know, does not involve onions. But please go to her site for the original version. Preparation is super straightforward, commercial yeast, a couple of hours and voilà: PIZZA AT THE TABLE!

THIN CRUST POTATO PIZZA
(slightly modified from Karen’s Kitchen Stories)

for the dough:
250 grams (about 1 3/4 cups plus) bread flour
5 grams (1 + 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
150 grams (2/3 cup) room temperature water
Extra virgin olive oil

for the topping:
1 quart lukewarm water
4 teaspoons salt
3 to 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
4 slices of Prosciutto, cut in small pieces
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
Salt to taste (I omitted)
Shredded Parmigiano cheese to taste

Whisk the dry ingredients for the crust together in a medium bowl. Add the water and mix it into the dough with a dough whisk or your hands until all of the flour is incorporaed, no more than a minute.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until doubled, about 2 hours.

In a medium-large bowl, combine the water and salt and stir to dissolve the salt.
With a mandoline slicer, cut the potatoes into thin (1/16 inch) slices. Immediately place the slices into the salted water. Let them soak for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Drain the potatoes and press out as much water as possible. Toss the potatoes with the black pepper, rosemary, and olive oil.

Heat the oven to 500 degrees F with a rack in the middle. When the dough is ready, drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a half sheet pan and spread it with your hands to coat the pan.
Place the dough in the half sheet pan, and flip it to coat both sides of the dough. Stretch it out to a long column to fit the middle of the pan. With your fingers, begin to press the dough to the sides of the pan. This may take awhile. When the dough resists your efforts, let it rest for a bit while you work on the potatoes. Eventually, your dough should just about cover the entire pan. If holes develop, just pinch them together.

Spread the potatoes over the top of the dough, all the way to the edges. Add the pieces of prosciutto scattered over the whole surface.
Bake the pizza for 15 minutes, add the Parmigiana on top, and continue baking for 15 minutes longer, until golden brown and the edges of the crust are beginning to pull up from the sides of the pan. The pizza will be very crispy.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This one goes into our rotation for sure! If you can have onions, go for it. The crust is very crisp, so don’t expect it to have that regular pizza vibe. It is addictive, and satisfying. You know I adore leftovers, so I am here to inform you that the leftovers were mine all mine next day.

The prosciutto gets very salty when it bakes, so if you add it, make sure to omit any additional salt, you won’t need it. I hope you make this recipe, it was perfect for us on a Saturday evening…

Karen, thank you for this gem of a recipe, cannot wait to make it again!
.

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27Jan2026

BAKED EGGS TORTILLA BITES

Posted in Appetizers, Breakfast & Brunch, Pizzas & Small Dishes by sallybr

I am totally in love with this concept, which I saw in one of those reels online that entice you but not always work. This one had a happy ending, and for that I am grateful…

BAKED EGG TORTILLA BITES
(slightly modified from food bites)

makes about 8

3 tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream
25 grams cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon sea salt
pepper, to taste

5 grape tomatoes, one per tortilla cup
fresh chives, to garnish

Heat oven to 350F.

Cut out tortilla flowers with a cookie cutter. Brush the top and bottom of the tortilla flowers with olive oil, insert in a muffin tin. Bake until slightly golden, maximum 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly as you prepare the filling.

Mix the eggs, cream, shredded cheddar, salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture on top of each tortilla flower till the bottom is covered. Bake again until the egg is cooked (about 8 minutes). Remove the egg tortilla bites and allow to cool.

Slice a grape tomato in the middle at a slant. Cut each half in half. Connect the two set of halves to make two hearts. Top the tomato hearts onto the egg tortillas. Arrange chopped chives as the stem.
Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was so simple and absolutely delicious. I used a carb-balance type flour tortilla, but I bet it would be even better with regular ones. Do what suits you. I include a little video to show you how to cut the hearts, as it was not quite clear for me when I read her explanation or watched her reel on Facebook. I hope it helps you.

These would be perfect to serve as appetizer for a Valentine’s meal, but I just enjoyed as lunch on a Saturday. Love this type of food. Leftovers were good warmed in a toaster oven, just make sure to keep an eye on the edge of the tortilla cup, they tend to brown quickly. Protect with foil if that bothers you. Each little cup, two small bites, one big smile!

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SEVEN YEARS AGO: Shibari Bread]

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NINE YEARS AGO: Two Salads and a Blog Award!

TEN YEARS AGO: When Three is Better than Two

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Somebody Stop Me!

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Zucchini Pasta with Cilantro-Cashew Pesto

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Bran Muffins, Take Two

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Mogo Mojo

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Slow-Roasted Chicken Thighs: an Ice-Breaker

23Jan2026

IRRESISTIBLE PECAN PIE COOKIES

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

I don’t know how to put this more clearly to you: MAKE THESE COOKIES. Do not hesitate, do not postpone to next week, next month. My friend Dorothy from shockinglydelicious raved about them, and I am so glad I took action. They are incredibly easy to make and OMG-delicious! Addictive. Seriously so. The recipe is not yet in her blog, but I got it through her Facebook (check it out here if you are on FB).

PECAN PIE “CRACK”
(from Dorothy Reinhold)

13 graham cracker rectangles
2 cups pecan halves and pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil). Lay graham crackers to fit, breaking them if you need to. Fill the whole pan. Sprinkle all the pecans over top.

In a medium pot over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter and salt. Bring to a boil and once boiling, let cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and quickly pour hot mixture over graham cracker and nuts in the pan, making sure all crackers are covered.

Bake 10 minutes; it will be bubbly. Remove from oven, allow to cool completely and break into pieces. This will be screaming hot, so don’t even try tasting it until it is entirely cool.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: As you know, I donate 99% of the sweets I bake, or close to it… But every once in a while I get to taste one, particularly when it is a recipe I’ve never made before. So I did. The nickname “crack” seemed appropriate, not that I ever suffered from drug addiction. The image fit nicely. I had to exercise ALL my will power to put them away, so the poor homeless would have a chance. They are impossibly good. Trust me. As you are making them you will be sure there will be a disaster in the end. Things get furiously bubbly, it looks like chaos. But there will be a super bright and tasty light at the end of that tunnel!

THANK YOU, DOROTHY! THESE ARE AMAZING!

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